The FOX Sports booth will have a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion on hand for two races. Former crew chief Chad Knaus will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway.
Joy announced the news during the final stage of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on March 27. He said that Knaus, who is now Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports, will take over the rotating third chair to provide analysis as drivers battle at the Virginia short tracks. He will follow Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, who made his return to the booth at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Next up in the @NASCARonFOX booth is seven-time champion crew chief @ChadKnaus, who will call the April 3 #NASCAR Cup Series race at @RichmondRaceway and the April 9 race from @MartinsvilleSwy alongside @MikeJoy500 and @ClintBowyer.
The next two races on the schedule will be fitting for Knaus considering his past success at those tracks. He secured 82 Cup Series wins as a crew chief during his career, 81 of which were with Jimmie Johnson. The duo combined for nine of these wins at Martinsville Speedway and another three at Richmond Raceway.
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Along with the wins, Johnson and Knaus turned in consistently strong performances at both tracks. They had an average finish of 9.9 at Martinsville Speedway in 38 starts and an average finish of 15.3 at Richmond Raceway in 37 starts.
Knaus Left the Pit Box After the 2020 Season
GettyChad Knaus (left) finished his crew chief tenure with William Byron (right).
Knaus has extensive experience sitting atop the pit box. He first served as a crew chief for Casey Atwood and Stacy Compton for a total of three races in 2000 before moving full-time with Compton in 2001.
The 2002 season marked a major change for Knaus. He joined forces with Johnson for the first time and reached Victory Lane three times. They remained together until the end of the 2018 season and won a total of 81 races and seven Cup Series championships.
Knaus and Johnson parted ways after the 2018 season. The driver of the No. 48 moved forward with Kevin Meendering and Cliff Daniels splitting the 2019 season, and Daniels taking over for the final run in 2020. Knaus, on the other hand, joined William Byron for two seasons and celebrated a win at Daytona International Speedway in 2020.
Once the 2020 season came to an end, Knaus left the pit box. He took on his new role at Hendrick Motorsports while two of the Hendrick Motorsports groups moved forward with some changes. Rudy Fugle took over as the crew chief for the No. 24 team while Cliff Daniels moved to the No. 5 team that featured Kyle Larson as the driver.
The FOX Sports Booth Has Featured Some Big Names
Adding Knaus to the booth only continues the run of big names for FOX Sports. The broadcaster has used several different options throughout the 2022 Cup Series season, all of whom provided a variety of different viewpoints.
Tony Stewart was the first guest to jump in the booth. He took over the third spot for the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum and the season-opening Daytona 500. He then made his return for the return to Circuit of the Americas, a track where he previously took laps in a Cup Series car ahead of a Formula 1 race.
Matt Kenseth was the next to join the FOX Sports booth. He took over for Stewart at Auto Club Speedway and provided analysis as Kyle Larson delivered an exciting win on the final restart. He kicked off the west coast swing, and then Danica Patrick took over for the races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
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Championship-Winning Crew Chief Joins FOX Sports Booth for 2 Races